1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image forming apparatuses, image forming systems, and computer-readable storage media.
2. Description of the Related Art
(1) There are known image forming apparatuses that are provided with, for example, a plurality of attach/detach sections to and from each of which a developing unit (which serves as an example of a developer container for containing developer) can be attached and detached, and an image bearing body for bearing a latent image. These image forming apparatuses form images by developing the latent image borne on the image bearing body with the developer contained in the developing unit(s) attached to the attach/detach section(s). When image signals are transmitted from an external device such as a computer, the image forming apparatus moves the developing units to thereby locate one of the developing units at a developing position opposing the image bearing body. A developer image is formed by developing the latent image formed on the image bearing body, and the image is temporarily transferred onto an intermediate transferring body. The developer image formed on the intermediate transferring body is then transferred onto a medium to form an image thereon. (See, for example, JP 2002-333756A.)
Devices, such as the image forming apparatuses described above, that are capable of communicating with computers generally have device IDs. A device ID is used by the computer to recognize the device when, for example, the device is electrically connected to the computer. By receiving the device ID from the device, the computer carries out, for example, settings relating to the devices, such as allocation of hardware resources, and operations such as prompting a user to install a device driver for that device (which is also referred to simply as a “driver” below).
In some situations, a user may wish to use a color image forming apparatus as a monochrome image forming apparatus by attaching, for example, only a black developing unit, which contains black developer, to the image forming apparatus. In order to fulfill such a desire, it is advantageous to use an image forming apparatus in which, when a developing unit is attached to each of the plurality of attach/detach sections, the image forming apparatus can be used as a color image forming apparatus for forming a color image by developing the latent image borne on the image bearing body with the developer contained in each of the developing units; and on the other hand, when a developing unit is attached to only one of the plurality of attach/detach sections, the image forming apparatus can be used as a single-color image forming apparatus for forming a single-color image by developing the latent image borne on the image bearing body with the developer contained in that developing unit.
Further, as for the driver for the image forming apparatus, it is preferable to use a single-color driver that suits the single-color image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatus is being used as a single-color image forming apparatus, and use a color driver that suits the color image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatus is being used as a color image forming apparatus.
Therefore, in cases where the image forming apparatus is switched from the single-color image forming apparatus to the color image forming apparatus, or from the color image forming apparatus to the single-color image forming apparatus, it is recommended, for example, that the user turns the power of the computer OFF, performs switching, and then turns the power of the computer ON again to install the driver that suits the image forming apparatus that has been switched.
Incidentally, it is preferable to provide the user with some variety of choices in the timing for installing the driver (i.e., when to install the driver), in consideration, for example, of the necessity of preparing the driver to be installed. In the procedure described above, this objective is achieved by adjusting the timing at which the user turns the power of the computer ON.
However, there are cases in which the user inadvertently performs switching of the image forming apparatus without turning the power of the computer OFF (i.e., while the power of the computer is still ON). Even in such cases, it is still demanded that the user be provided with a variety of choices in the driver-installing timing described above.
(2) There are also known image forming systems that are provided with, for example: an image forming apparatus including a plurality of attach/detach sections to and from each of which a developing unit (which serves as an example of a developer container for containing developer) can be attached and detached, and an image bearing body for bearing a latent image; and a computer that is capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus and that is provided with a control program capable of instructing execution of image formation to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus of the type described above forms images by developing the latent image borne on the image bearing body with the developer contained in the developing unit(s) attached to the attach/detach section(s). In such image forming systems, when image data are transmitted from the computer in accordance with instructions given by the control program to execute image formation, the image forming apparatus moves the developing units to thereby locate one of them at a developing position opposing the image bearing body. A developer image is formed by developing the latent image formed on the image bearing body, and the image is temporarily transferred onto an intermediate transferring body. The developer image formed on the intermediate transferring body is then transferred onto a medium to form an image thereon. (See, for example, JP 2002-333756A.)
In some situations, a user may wish to use a color image forming apparatus as a monochrome image forming apparatus by attaching, for example, only a black developing unit, which contains black developer, to the image forming apparatus. In order to fulfill such a desire, it is advantageous to use an image forming apparatus in which, when a developing unit is attached to each of the plurality of attach/detach sections, the image forming apparatus can be used as a color image forming apparatus for forming a color image by developing the latent image borne on the image bearing body with the developer contained in each of the developing units; and on the other hand, when a developing unit is attached to only one of the plurality of attach/detach sections, the image forming apparatus can be used as a single-color image forming apparatus for forming a single-color image by developing the latent image borne on the image bearing body with the developer contained in that developing unit.
In the image forming system described above, a different control program is used for when the image forming apparatus is being used as a color image forming apparatus and for when it is being used as a single-color image forming apparatus. That is, when the image forming apparatus is to be used as a color image forming apparatus, the color control program installed to the computer is used for executing image formation, whereas when the image forming apparatus is to be used as a single-color image forming apparatus, the single-color control program installed to the computer is used for executing image formation.
Each of the color control program and the single-color control program has recorded thereon setting information (for example, information about the print media and paper supply sections that is displayed on a display device of the computer) which is changeable. The setting information has different initial setting values between the color control program and the single-color control program. Therefore, the image forming system performs image formation using the initial setting values of the setting information of the respective control programs that differ between when the image forming apparatus is to be used as a color image forming apparatus and when it is to be used as a single-color image forming apparatus. It should be noted that the user can change the initial setting values of the setting information to a different setting value before making the control program instruct image formation.
Incidentally, the user often sets this changeable setting information to specific setting values before instructing the control program to execute image formation. When the image forming apparatus is switched, however, the setting values of the setting information of a control program that was used before performing switching of the image forming apparatus may differ from the initial setting values of the setting information of a control program that is used after switching. In this case, the user has to change the initial setting values of the latter control program to the specific setting values in order to execute image formation after switching of the image forming apparatus using the specific setting values, which differ from the initial setting values of the control program that is used after switching of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, when switching of the image forming apparatus is performed, the user will have to carry out burdensome tasks.